The Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus. The name derives from the character Orestes, who sets out to avenge his father's murder. The only extant example of an ancient Greek theater trilogy, the Oresteia won first prize at the Dionysia festival in 458 BC. Principal themes of the trilogy include the contrast between revenge and justice, as well as the transition from personal vendetta to organized litigation.

In myth, Theseus was the slayer of the child-devouring Minotaur in Crete. What the founder-hero might have been in real life is another question, brilliantly explored in The King Must Die. Drawing on modern scholarship and archaeological findings at Knossos, Mary Renault's Theseus is an utterly lifelike figure-a king of immense charisma, whose boundless strivings flow from strength and weakness-but also one steered by implacable prophecy. The story...

The Iliad can justly be called the world's greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns, the heroism and treachery of its combatants unmatched in song and story. Driven by fierce passions and loyalties, men and gods battle to a devastating conclusion. The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved...

It is 1938 and Sigmund Freud, suffering from the debilitating effects of cancer, has been permitted by the Nazis to leave Vienna. He seeks refuge in England, taking up residence in the house in Hampstead in which he will die fifteen months later. But his last months are made vivid by the arrival of a stranger who comes and goes according to Freud?s state of health. Who is the mysterious visitor and why has he come to tell the famed proponent of the...

It seems quite natural, given the original intent of The Odyssey as a story to be listened to and savored, to present this epic to the modern audience in a medium that most adheres to its aural-oral nature and the immediacy of its telling. Divided into eight one-hour segments of dramatization, each segment is followed by commentary on a particular aspect of the segment by a noted expert.

The Minotaur was a creature that was a monstrous half-man, half-bull imprisoned in Daedalus's labyrinth. Crete gave birth to Europe's first civilization nearly 5,000 years ago. Then it collapsed in fire and violence. Many questions have arisen from the society and Hughes is following in the footsteps of famed archaeologists to find startling new insights into the Minoan culture. Fresh evidence excaved from sites all over Crete offers tantalizing clues...